TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen will cut the number of Ministers of State from 20 to 15 later this month.
Mr Cowen held a half-hour meeting with all 20 junior Ministers yesterday morning before a full Cabinet meeting. He asked them all to resign on April 21st, to allow the Government to reappoint a reduced complement of 15 junior Ministers on the following day.
None of the Ministers objected or dissented. The indications last night were that virtually all of the junior Ministers had tendered their letters of resignation.
Asked why the reduction was not taking place immediately, a spokesman said Mr Cowen wanted some time to re-examine the roles and functions of Ministers of State.
Several junior Ministers also said the two-week period would allow their own staffs to prepare for their junior ministerial offices being axed.
The potential savings to the exchequer will be €2-€3 million a year. Junior Ministers are paid €54,000 in addition to the basic TD’s salary of €100,000. However, the bulk of the cost is associated with salaries for their staff and drivers.
The two “super junior” Ministers, Government Chief Whip Pat Carey and Minister for Children Barry Andrews, are expected to be reappointed to the same roles. The Greens said there was a “clear expectation” its junior Minister, Trevor Sargent, would be retained. Junior Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche is also considered by colleagues to be safe.
Those who are thought may be vulnerable include junior Ministers Mary Wallace and Máire Hoctor (both attached to Health); Jimmy Devins (Enterprise); Seán Power (Communications and Energy), Micheál Kitt (Environment) and Seán Haughey (Education).
Mr Sargent said some juniors had offered to forgo their ministerial salaries and continue with their jobs but he said most of the cost relates to other staff and drivers. “It is completely at the disposal of the Taoiseach. I am prepared to move to another department,” he said.
Mr Andrews said the meeting was short but all the junior Ministers showed solidarity.
In January and February, Mr Cowen publicly defended the number of juniors on the basis that their workload was increasing and because of the challenges faced by Government. However, speaking at an Irish Management Institute forum in Dublin last week, he admitted that the issue of junior Ministers was “part of the problem”.
